HP Pledges To Sort Out LaserJet Hacking Issue

Printer giant HP has released a fix to prevent its LaserJet printers being susceptible to hacking.

The company's new firmware update will prevent hackers from taking over a printing device, however, it won't help if the printer has already been compromised by cyber criminals.

Last month, researchers at Columbia University suggested that the devices could be hacked, compromising personal information.

HP issued a statement stressing that no customer had reported unauthorised access to their device, although it did admit there was a flaw.

"HP has identified a potential security vulnerability with some HP LaserJet printers ... if placed on a public internet without a firewall. In a private network, some printers may be vulnerable if a malicious effort is made to modify the firmware of the device by a trusted party on the network,'' the company's statement read.

HP recommends placing printers behind a firewall to protect them from remote hackers.